CURRENT POSITION Assistant Librarian/Coordinator of Reference and Research, University of South Carolina Upstate Spartanburg Library DEGREE MLIS, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 2012 FOLLOW @sketchlibrarian; uscupstate.libguides.com/SCLibraries; bit.ly/SCLAadvocacy Photo by Les Duggins

Sharing Stories

Virginia Cononie is a tireless advocate for libraries. She conceived, compiled, published, and promoted the book Share Your Story, a collection of more than 100 testimonials and photos from library supporters to be sent to lawmakers in the state of South Carolina, illustrating the value of libraries in their communities.

Cononie devised the plan to highlight the importance of libraries through personal experiences of supporters. She reached out to organizations throughout the state. As pandemic lockdowns began, she continued collecting stories, programs, pictures, and descriptions of events from each congressional district, then compiled them in an easy-to-read format, so legislators could see individual outcomes in their own districts. The final project was an impressive example of how powerful libraries are, especially during challenging times.

Cononie says the project almost came to a halt due to COVID; she considered not going through with it, but then received a particular photo and story that moved her—an image of shipping boxes holding $1,000 worth of books, an illustration of not only where support dollars go, but what they can buy. “Getting that picture and narrative during such a bleak time made an impact on me,” Cononie says.

The completed book includes touching stories of librarians connecting with patrons and students and creation of lesson plans, as well as photos of curbside pickups, book displays, community outreach events, and more. Because of COVID, Cononie pivoted from her original plan to hand deliver books to digital delivery to each state senator and seven districts, plus an open-access file, printable and sharable by anyone. A printed copy was mailed for legislators’ waiting rooms, expanding the reach of the project even more.

Cononie sees the big picture of advocacy for all types of libraries. She gathered the experiences of school, public, and academic librarians in her efforts, making a stronger group and allowing them to work together to appeal to decision-makers and legislators.

Cononie knows it can be intimidating, but she wants library supporters to feel confident in contacting their legislators about the importance of libraries in their communities. “Your legislator is working for you,” she says. “You are their constituent. You are a taxpayer. You should feel empowered to tell them what your library is worth.”